Definition
The angle, measured in degrees, between the aircraft's heading and the desired course, applied to offset the effect of wind so that the aircraft tracks the intended path over the ground. The aircraft is pointed into the wind by this amount so that its actual path across the ground matches the course the pilot wants to fly.
Plain English
When wind is blowing across your path, you have to point the airplane slightly into the wind to keep moving in the direction you actually want to go. The number of degrees you angle the nose into the wind is the wind correction angle.
Context Anchor
Used during instrument tracking when a pilot adjusts heading to stay centered on a course or route in wind.
Derivation
“Correction” comes from a Latin idea meaning “to set right.” In this term, the angle is the adjustment that sets the airplane’s path right when wind would otherwise push it off course.
Why Pilots Care
Applying the correct wind correction angle keeps the aircraft on the planned ground track, preventing drift that could lead to airspace violations, missed waypoints, or unsafe routing.
Analogy
Think of swimming across a river with a current. If you aim straight at the point opposite you, the current carries you downstream. To actually arrive at the point opposite, you have to aim slightly upstream. The angle you aim upstream is the same idea as a wind correction angle.
Intuition Check
Wind correction angle is not the amount the airplane has already drifted off course. It is the heading offset the pilot holds to prevent or stop that drift.
Example Sentence 1
With a wind from the left, the pilot held a 6-degree wind correction angle into the wind to stay on the desired course.
Example Sentence 2
With the wind from the right, a positive wind correction angle to the right was needed to maintain the assigned track.